This dissertation is concerned with the deictic
and grammatical category person and its
associated linguistic expressions: indexical,
i.e. first and second person, pronouns. Under
the hypothesis that sentence meaning is
computed from how words and their associated
lexical information combine with each other,
indexical pronouns present an interesting
challenge: their actual referent can only be
determined once interpreted with respect to the
utterance context they are being used in.
Formulated within the Chomskyan framework of
generative syntax, this thesis develops a novel
approach to the relationship between the
morphosyntactic content, the interpretational
ranges, and the associated crosslinguistic
variation of these pronouns. Primarily based on
data from Dutch, English, German
(Indoeuropean), and Blackfoot (Algonquian), the
main conclusion of this thesis is that person
is derivative of spatiotemporal information:
Firstly, temporal information plays a crucial
role in its interpretation. Secondly, spatial
information contributes the necessary
contextual anchoring. Empirically, this
dissertation draws on data from the domains of
genericity, possession, tense, and modality. On
the basis of this evidence it is shown that the
spatiotemporal information underlying indexical
pronouns is also encoded morphosyntactically.
From a broader perspective, this dissertation
addresses questions concerning the relation
between context and syntax, morphology and
syntax, as well as syntax and semantics.